Ducks wrap up playoff berth

ANAHEIM -- Like just about everything else this season, Friday night's Stanley Cup playoff berth-clinching 4-3, shootout victory over the Dallas Stars at Honda Center could have come a whole lot easier for the Ducks.

After letting two third-period leads get away, the second one when Fabian Brunnstrom scored with only 13.1 seconds left, the Ducks recovered from an early shootout deficit to prevail on conversions by Ryan Getzlaf and TeemuSelanne, and secure their fourth consecutive post-season appearance.

The Ducks (42-33-6), who conclude the regular season with a road date Saturday night against the Phoenix Coyotes, remained in seventh place in the NHL's Western Conference. They could finish sixth, seventh or eighth and could open the playoffs against any one of four teams -- the San Jose Sharks, Detroit RedWings, Vancouver Canucks or Calgary Flames -- but the bottom line is much more simple.

"We're in," Coach Randy Carlyle said. "You work all year, starting in September with your group, with visions of playing in the playoffs. It's a marathon we're about to complete."

The Ducks will go all-out in their regular-season finale against the Coyotes in an attempt to finish as high as possible in the standings, Carlyle said.

Still, the Ducks avoided a must-win situation Saturday thanks in large part to third-period goals from defenseman Scott Niedermayer and Andrew Ebbett, the shootout handiwork of Getzlaf and Selanne, and 42 saves from goaltender Jonas Hiller, who permitted only a James Neal goal in the shootout.

"I think everybody should be proud of the last few weeks, how everybody has played and come together to push us into the playoffs and give us an opportunity to see what we can do there," Niedermayer said.

"Floundering," to use Carlyle's word, at 32-31-6 after a 1-0 loss to the NHL-leading Sharks on March 15 at Honda Center, the Ducks proceeded to win 10 of their next 12 games. Four came via shootout, long a major Ducks weakness.

In a must-score situation, with the Ducks trailing by one entering the third round of the shootout, Getzlaf beat Dallas goalie Marty Turco on the glove side before Stars center Mike Modano's bid for a game-winning effort clanged off the crossbar.

Up next, Selanne came up with a previously unseen move, racing in full-speed, stopping suddenly and lifting a shot over Turco's old-fashioned, two-pad stack.

"It was in my pocket a long time," Selanne said. "It was time to pull it out. Still, 13 seconds to go and they tie the game, that's not the way to end regulation. Maybe it was good for the fans to get a little more entertainment, a happy ending."

BEAUCHEMIN BACK

Defenseman Francois Beauchemin returned to the Ducks lineup less than five months after having suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and undergone major knee surgery.

Beauchemin, who was hurt in a Nov. 14 game against the visiting Nashville Predators and had surgery six days later, played 15 minutes, 23 seconds in his return after having missed 62 games. He finished plus-1, with credit for one hit.

"I felt all right," Beauchemin said. "I missed on a couple of plays, but overall I felt all right. I hit a couple of guys. I didn't really get hit, but the knee was no problem. That's good news."

Having Beauchemin step in for rookie Brendan Mikkelson on the third defensive pair, at least for now, could have significant implications for the playoffs.

"It's a huge bonus when you have a veteran player that has played with your group for a number of years and logged huge minutes come back into your lineup," Carlyle said. "He's pretty much ready to go from a standpoint of his emotions. You can see he's wired up."

Beauchemin wasn't certain whether he would also play Saturday night.

"We still don't know how it's going to react to a game," he said. "Everything should be fine. It's just a matter of coming back slowly, and we don't want to rush anything."

NOTES

The Ducks reached the 90-point mark for the fourth consecutive season and fifth time in club history. ... With an assist on Ebbett's goal that put the Ducks on top 3-2 at 13:56 of the third period, Selanne stretched his scoring streak to six games. ... Ducks right wing Corey Perry assisted on a Niedermayer goal 7:03 into the third period to extend a scoring streak to four games. ... Todd Marchant scored his fifth goal of the season for the Ducks. ... Steve Ott had two goals and an assist for the Stars, who finished 36-35-11 after having reached the Western Conference finals last season.

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